"Your Majesty! The imperial concubine is pregnant and shouldn't drink tea," the granny beside them advised.
"Pregnant? Why wasn't I informed?" Yuan Yuchuan didn't expect Concubine Hua to disclose this matter. He had originally planned to get rid of the child in her womb before anyone found out. Now it seemed impossible.
"Your Majesty, I just found out myself. On the day of the Mid - Autumn Festival, after the palace banquet, I felt unwell and summoned the imperial physician," Concubine Hua had no choice but to follow the granny's words.
"The imperial physician said I've been pregnant for over half a month, almost a month." Counting the days, she conceived when Yuan Yuchuan last visited her palace this month.
"Then stop kneeling. Get up," Yuan Yuchuan didn't show much excitement. He would have many women and many children in the future, so he didn't care much about Concubine Hua's child.
"Since you're pregnant, stay in your palace and take good care of yourself. Don't have all sorts of wild thoughts," he said while giving a glance at the granny and the maid beside Concubine Hua, clearly warning them.
"Your Majesty~ I wish you could come and accompany me more often," Concubine Hua knew that only with Yuan Yuchuan's protection could she survive. Otherwise, if she fought alone against others in the palace, she was likely to be secretly attacked.
"I'm swamped with official duties and don't have much time to accompany you. I'll send some things to you later. Take good care of yourself," he said, then took Mu Xingrou out. Before leaving, he added, "Concubine Hua, behave yourself. Don't cause me any trouble, or I won't show mercy."
After seeing Yuan Yuchuan leave, Concubine Hua smashed all the things in the room to pieces. "Ah!! How dare he? I'm the princess of Huaman Country! Yuan Yuchuan actually dares to threaten me! And that Mu Xingrou, they're all sluts!"
The granny and the maid beside her didn't stop Concubine Hua. Anyway, their goal was the child in her womb. As long as the child was safe, they didn't care about anything else.
"Your Ladyship, this servant thinks the child in Maid Mu's womb can be kept," the maid said after seeing Concubine Hua calm down.
"Why?" Concubine Hua looked at her puzzledly. Shouldn't that slut be killed? What's the use of keeping her?
"Your Ladyship, we need to be prepared. What if the child in your womb is not a prince?" A glint flashed in the maid's eyes. If the child in Concubine Hua's womb was not a prince, they could play the trick of "switching the prince with a commoner's child" and replace it with Maid Mu's child.
"You want me to raise that slut's child?" Concubine Hua exploded at this idea. The child in her womb must be a boy!
"Your Ladyship, this is just in case. After that child ascends the throne in the future, you can completely control him," then she could do whatever she wanted.
Concubine Hua thought about what the maid said and thought it was not a bad idea. She could rule from behind the curtain in the future. "You're right. Find someone to watch Maid Mu closely. The child in her womb must not be in danger."
"Yes," the maid replied and went to arrange it.
"Your Majesty, if you hadn't come in time, the child in my womb might have been lost," Mu Xingrou said as she nestled in Yuan Yuchuan's arms aggrievedly, seeking comfort.
"Okay, don't cry. You're safe now," Yuan Yuchuan patted Mu Xingrou's back to console her. Mu Xingrou had no powerful backer, so she could only rely on him. Therefore, he was quite satisfied with the child in her womb.
"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you and the child."
"Your Majesty must protect me," Mu Xingrou knew very well how to arouse a man's protective instinct, and obviously, she succeeded. Yuan Yuchuan really took the bait.
"Don't worry. I won't let you and the child suffer any grievances," Yuan Yuchuan looked at the delicate Mu Xingrou and suddenly felt a surge of male chauvinism. He found a sense of vanity in her.
He hadn't felt this way for a long time. He used to have it, but after Lou Yueying became the crown princess, he never experienced it again. Even after he became the emperor, the women in the palace were only vying for his favor every day and never regarded him as their world.
Yuan Yuchuan was very satisfied with Mu Xingrou's dependence and became even more fond of her. "About the incident on the Mid - Autumn Festival, your brother offended Concubine Shu. I had no choice but to do that."
"I understand, Your Majesty. You don't need to blame yourself. My brother committed a serious crime. It's already very kind of you not to implicate me. How could I not be grateful?" Mu Xingrou quickly responded to Yuan Yuchuan's probing.
Yuan Yuchuan was satisfied with this response. This woman was very sensible, and it wouldn't be a problem for him to protect her in the future.
"Alright, I'll send someone to take you back. Take good care of the baby in your womb. If you're wronged, come to me," Yuan Yuchuan remembered that he still had a lot of memorials to review and didn't have time to accompany Mu Xingrou anymore.
"Will Your Majesty come back to accompany me tonight?" Mu Xingrou looked at Yuan Yuchuan timidly, her eyes full of admiration for him, as if he was her world and everything.
Yuan Yuchuan was captivated by Mu Xingrou's look. "Don't worry. I'll come to accompany you after I finish reviewing the memorials. Have a good rest. I'll leave first." Yuan Yuchuan stroked Mu Xingrou's head and then turned to leave.
Only a little eunuch was left to take Mu Xingrou back. But Mu Xingrou was quite satisfied with this result. After all, she knew how to capture the emperor's heart, and things would be easier in the future.
When Mu Xingrou returned to the palace, there was already someone waiting for her at the palace gate. "Your Ladyship, you're finally back. This servant was so worried."
"What's there to worry about? I'm perfectly fine," Mu Xingrou happily gave a silver ingot to the little eunuch who brought her back.
"Chunhua, where's Eunuch Hai?" Mu Xingrou knew that it must be Eunuch Hai who helped her this time. It should be him who informed the emperor, so the emperor could come in time.
"Your Ladyship, Eunuch Hai is inside taking care of Mrs. Kong," Chunhua supported Mu Xingrou and walked in slowly.
"Don't worry about Mrs. Kong. As long as she stays in this palace and doesn't run around, it's fine," Mu Xingrou waved her hand indifferently and asked someone to call Eunuch Hai back.
As for that Mrs. Kong, as long as she didn't cause trouble for her, she would take good care of her until her death. Otherwise, don't blame her for being ruthless.
"Yes, this servant understands."
"Your Ladyship, many people have come from outside. They say the things are sent by the emperor."